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The new North Luzon Expressway-C5 Northlink Segment 8.2 Section 1A was officially inaugurated on October 29, ahead of the anticipated surge in traffic during Undas this weekend
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The two-kilometer section connects Quirino Highway in Quezon City to NLEX Mindanao Toll Plaza in Valenzuela City, cutting travel time from around 40 minutes to just five
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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who led the opening ceremony with government and NLEX Corp. officials, announced that the segment will be toll-free until yearend
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The newly opened section provides an alternative route to main thoroughfare EDSA, help ease congestion along Mindanao Avenue and Quirino Highway
The new North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)-C5 Northlink Segment 8.2 Section 1A was officially inaugurated on October 29, ahead of the anticipated surge in traffic during Undas or the All Saints’/Souls’ Day observance this weekend.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. led the final inspection and inauguration of the two-kilometer section that connects Quirino Highway in Quezon City to NLEX Mindanao Toll Plaza in Valenzuela City.
The newly opened section is expected to help ease congestion along Mindanao Avenue and Quirino Highway while improving travel time, safety, and convenience, especially during peak travel periods, such as the upcoming Undas, operator NLEX Corp. said in a statement.
READ: MPTC rolls out road support program for Undas 2026 travel
Motorists from Quirino Highway can now directly access the NLEX Connector for trips to Manila, the University Belt, and nearby cities, providing an alternative route to EDSA.
Those heading north can use the new section to reach the NLEX Mindanao Toll Plaza and access the NLEX mainline toward Central Luzon, with connections to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) for onward travel to Northern Luzon. The section is expected to serve approximately 11,000 vehicles daily.
Operating 24/7 and accommodating all vehicle classes, the new section will also facilitate the movement of people and goods and support transport logistics and economic activity.
“So traffic will flow faster now… it will ease travel for our countrymen as they celebrate Undas,” Marcos said in Filipino during the livestreamed opening ceremony with other government and NLEX Corp. officials in attendance.
“Even if it’s short, just two kilometers, this is a big help in cutting travel time from the old route,” he said.
Toll-free until yearend
The President also announced that the new segment will be toll-free until the yearend.
“They (NLEX Corp.) can still handle it, so they are granting us leeway, passage here will be free until the end of the year,” Marcos said.
Section 1A is part of the 11.3-kilometer NLEX-C5 Northlink Segment 8.2 project, which extends from Mindanao Avenue to C5/C.P. Garcia near Katipunan Avenue. Once completed, the project will further improve connectivity between northern and southern Luzon via the eastern side of Metro Manila.
The NLEX-C5 Northlink is a public-private partnership (PPP) project with the Toll Regulatory Board serving as government grantor, and NLEX Corp., a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., acting as the private concessionaire.
